Casino Glossary

A.

Ante: the first (initial) bet that is placed before a new game is started. This usually applies to card games.

B.

Banker: the banker is responsible for gathering bets that have been lost, and paying out winning bets to players who have won.

C.

Card Counting: a sure-fire way to beat the house in the game of Blackjack. This is only really achieved by expert level players as it requires a special skill and exceptional mathematical capabilities.

Chips: the round pieces of plastic that are used as currency on casino tables. Different colours represent different monetary values.

D.

Deposit: a deposit in an online casino is made when a player sends funds to his/her account at the casino, by making use of the specified deposit-process.

E.

Even Money Bet: a bet that is placed on the outcome ratio of 1:1. In the event of a win, a player’s money is doubled. When losing, there is no return to the player.

F.

Flat Betting: the value of the bet that is placed is the same every time.

G.

Gambler’s Fallacy: The mistaken belief that a past event will have a direct influence on a future, completely random, event.

H.

High roller: a player who consistently places large bets.

I.

Instant Casino: an online casino where games can be played directly from your web browser. In other words, no downloads necessary.

J.

Jackpot: every slot player’s favourite word. A particularly large payout.

L.

Lobby: the area on an online casino’s site where a choice is made by the player as to which game to play.

M.

Multi-player game: a game that supports more than one player playing at any given time.

N.

Nett Winnings: the overall profits made by a player from a game, or from a series of games played during a specified time period.

O.

Optimal Strategy: this is an interesting one, especially since many online casino games are games of change. There are exceptions, where strategy becomes important. An optimal strategy is the best possible way of playing a certain game for the best possible outcome.

P.

Payout: the amount that is awarded to the player after having played a winning bet.

Payout Table: a table displaying the amounts that can be won for various combinations of symbols. This is found in slot games.

Play for Fun: these games are offered by casinos in order for players to learn the ropes. Playing is free, but by the same token, no real money can be won.

R.

Racino: a casino that is located at or near a horse track.

S.

Shoe: the holder / box that is used to hold a deck / decks of cards on a casino table. Cards are dispensed from the shoe.

Stiff: a slang word used by dealers to describe a player who never tips the dealer.

Stake: the specific size of a bet.

T.

Toke: this is a slang word used to describe the tip that is given to a dealer by a player.

U.

Up Card: this is a card that is dealt with its face in an upwards direction, in other words, the value of the card is know or exposed.

W.

Welcome Bonus. Upon signing up, many casinos offer a welcome bonus. This incentivises new players to sign up at a new online casino site. The bigger the size of the welcome bonus, the more likely the player will be to sign up.

Whale: Much like a high roller, this is a player who consistently places large bets. Whether winning or losing.